It’s all you can ask for

Denny Hamlin has been holding his Short Track Showdown race to raise money to benefit families and individuals by cystic fibrosis. This year, he decided a portion should also be devoted to assist people affected by the deadly tornado outbreak that struck the South last week.

Organizing such an event is a difficult undertaking. NASCAR colleague Tony Stewart, who will be holding his own charity event, the Seventh annual Prelude to the Dream race at Eldora Speedway in Rossburg, Ohio, in June, can appreciate the effort involved.

“It’s a hard thing,” Stewart said Friday afternoon. “The event last night that Denny had was a lot more complicated because you have a lot different mixture of people involved, where our deal is an invitation race, so it’s easier for us.

“But I thought they did a good job with it, considering all the rain they had last night. They had a great race and a great finish to it. Anytime you’re putting on a charity race like that, it’s all you can ask for.”

That old time driving feeling

All of the competitors in the Denny Hamlin Short Track Showdown Thursday faced challenges. The local late-model drivers had to contend with a track that few of them had ever raced on. The NASCAR drivers, on the other hand, had to contend with cars that handle quite a bit different from the Nationwide and Sprint Cup cars they are used to.

NASCAR veteran Michael Waltrip described the late model difference.

“They are fun to drive, you just drive it,” Waltrip said. “You remember back in the ‘50s when you had TV driving in the movies?

“They drove down the road like this”—Waltrip held his hands up as if they were on a steering wheel—“even though they weren’t turning. That’s how you drive these cars, literally. You go straight then you let off, then you back into a corner. You just spend a whole lot of time TV driving.

Don’t push me

Aric Almirola ran in the top five for most of Friday night’s Bubba Burger 250, but three pit road penalties on Lap 248 dropped him to 14th place.

Two of the penalties make sense, one for excessive speed exiting pit road, another for running the stop and go light at the exit. But the first one seems rather impossible. The infraction? Excessive speed entering pit road.

The problem with that penalty was that Almirola ran out of gas in turn two after a yellow flag on Lap 246. He did not make pit road under his own power. He needed a push from Brad Keselowski to make it to the pit road entrance.

No rest for the victorious

Thursday turned into a long night of racing at Richmond International Raceway. With a hour long rain delay, crashes and post race media responsibilities following his win in the Short Track Showdown, it was far past midnight before driver Denny Hamlin was able to get away from the track.

Friday morning came early with the Nationwide garages opening at 7 a.m. preceding practice which was followed by Sprint Cup practice, qualifying for both races then running the Bubba Burger 250.

Hamlin’s win in the Nationwide race meant additional media responsibilities.  Therefore it took little time for Hamlin to calculate how much rest he was able to get over the previous two days.

“None,” he said. “This has been a long day. I’m ready to go to bed.”

Only the best win at Richmond

Looking over the list of winners at RIR one will find a virtual who’s who of racing. What one will not find is a single ‘One-hit-wonder’, providing evidence that only the best win in Richmond.

According to Clint Bowyer, driver of the #33 BB&T Chevy, Richmond is a track where drivers make the difference.

“On some of these bigger tracks, if you don’t have the equipment you’re not going to win the race,” he said. “You can have the best driver in the world, if the car’s not capable of getting the job done he’s not going to get the job done.

“This is a place where you can truly make up the difference and get up on the wheel and make the difference,” Bowyer said.

Racing legend Kyle Petty confirmed Bowyers’ statement. “Only the cream of the crop will lead here Saturday,” he said. “Only the best drivers will lead at a place like this because it’s a race track.”

Is marriage a good thing?

Drivers often field oddball questions during sessions with media but NASCAR driver Carl Edwards was asked about his recent marriage in a manner that left those wedded members of the press shaking their heads in dismay. 

“I just wonder if you’ve had any difficulty adjusting to doing not just what I want to do but doing something that is mutually agreeable to the wife?” the reporter asked Edwards. “I’m just saying when you have a self-reliant lifestyle I would imagine there’s a fundamental change that will have to take place.”

A briefly confused Edwards paused then explained, as he could only do, about the benefits of marriage.

Afterwards the reporter confirmed he had never been married.

As exciting as watching grass grow

Carl Edwards, driver of the #99 Scotts eZ Seed Ford, has long been known for his adventurous lifestyle and willingness to accept any challenge. So, perhaps the reporter’s question was well founded in asking if marriage had tamed him.

“I’m glad Scotts is on board,” Edwards said. “I just got a bunch of grass seed from them that we’re going to plant here in the next couple of days so we’ll find out how well this stuff works. I’m excited.”

I need a translator

Because of his Columbian heritage, Juan Pablo Montoya, driver of the #42 Target Chevy regularly makes statements to the press in both English and Spanish. After winning the pole for the Crown Royal Presents, the Matthew & Daniel Hansen 400 at RIR, he was required to make a second appearance of the day in the media center on Friday. Montoya immediately took control.

When press conference coordinator Kerry Tharpe asked the media for questions,

“In Spanish only please,” Montoya added.

A chuckle filtered through the media center and Mechanicsville Local correspondent JP Beauchamp took the mic to field the first question. But instead of asking in English as expected, Beauchamp fielded his inquiry in fluent Spanish which left Montoya’s stunned and the media rolling in laughter.

He who has the last laugh…

At the close of Montoya’s press conference, Tharpe, who is known for his occasional jibes, looked to his podium then turned to driver. “I’ve just got a text where someone would like you to give that answer in Spanish,” he said.

Montoya gave Tharpe a dubious look but answered as instructed.

As he was leaving the platform, Montoya took a good look at Tharpe’s phone. “Hey, it really does say that,” Montoya said. “He wasn’t bull—- me.”

After Montoya left the room, Tharpe turned to the press. “That’s an old text I keep on there,” he explained.

Who says golf is a slow sport

During his initiation into NASCAR at Fontana, Matthew Hansen explained the fastest vehicle he got to ride in was a golf cart. At RIR, the namesake of the Crown Royal Presents the Matthew and Daniel Hansen 400 got his first pace car ride.

How did he compare the two?

“I was out in a pace car this morning, did numerous laps,” he said. “It was great however I still think they’ve been getting those golf carts to go pretty darned fast.”